There are just so many options now for making all kinds of creative things at home, in ways that would have been impossible or extremely difficult 20 years ago.
Using Cricut machines, like the Maker 4, has really opened up a whole new world of crafting possibilities for me. My kid’s clothes are adorned with whatever her interest of the time is. I always have a personalised card for birthdays and Christmas, and it’s easy to make a mural or sticker at a moment’s notice.
The one thing I struggled with was putting designs on hats. While you can technically use the Easy Press Mini to apply an iron-on to a hat, it’s very difficult to use a flat press evenly on a curved object.
Enter the Cricut Hat Press. As the name suggests, it’s designed for pressing hats. It’s a curved iron. What makes it exciting is that it comes with a hat form; a malleable (yet solid) object you can put in the hat so it keeps its shape while you press it.
I’ve been using it for a couple of months now, and I’m having a great time.
Table of contents
- First impressions
- Specifications and price
- Hat press
- Hat form
- Cricut hat blanks
- Who is the Cricut Hat Press for?
First impressions
Taking it out of the box, it was very easy to set up the Cricut Hat Press. I just plugged it in, synced it via Bluetooth to the Cricut Heat app, and was ready to start adorning hats with stupid slogans straight away.
It’s quite small and easy to store, which is good, because my cupboards are already bursting with crafting accessories.
Cricut Hat Press specifications and price
| Number of heat settings | 3 |
| Max heat level | 205°C |
| Price | $229 |
| Warranty | 2 years in addition to your Australian Consumer Law rights |
| Manufacturer’s website | Cricut Australia |
Hat press
Cricut machines are designed for both complete beginners and seasoned semi-professionals. When it comes to heat presses, I am much closer to the beginner side of the scale. So, I really appreciated how much the app held my hand. I was able to tell it what I was making, and which materials I was using, and the app essentially responded with “I’ve got this” and sent the recommended settings to the machine. It even has a timer, so I didn’t over- or undercook my hats.
People who know more about the craft than I do can just select their heat level and go without using the app, but the app is so good for newbies.
The Hat Press itself is pretty small, so those with very large hands might struggle, but I swear this thing was designed for my exact hand size (slightly larger than your average female hands). It’s so comfortable. Pressing down on it for 90 seconds is still a bit challenging, given the oval shape of the hat form, and the brim getting in the way.
However, the press itself was comfortable to use, and without using a larger contraption like a vice to get everything still, this is about as good as it’s going to get.
The stand for the hat press is a good size, and also essential for not accidentally resting the press on something flammable and burning the house down.
I also really appreciated how long the cable is. I didn’t feel tethered to my power point, and could get into a good position.
Hat form
The hat form is a 3D oval filled with beans. The beans make it easy to manipulate the bag for different sized hats. This is really the MVP of the package, because while you can get away with transferring things to a hat using the Cricut EasyPress Mini, or even a normal iron, trying to MacGyver a hat form that holds its shape and doesn’t catch fire is a real challenge.
The handle is a really nice addition that makes it even easier to transport. It’s just filled with thoughtful touches.
I do wish it were easier to store, or had a hidden compartment for the Hat Press or something, but that would likely diminish the functionality of the form.
Cricut hat blanks
I both love and hate the Cricut Hat Blanks. Cricut sells two different flavours of hat in Australia: basic grey baseball cap, and white and black trucker hat. They are made of polyester (and feel like it), so they can take Infusible Ink, which is really useful and opens up more avenues for creativity.
I just wish they looked a bit nicer, or had more options. I also think it’s a missed opportunity that there isn’t a template for putting designs on the back of the hats in Cricut Design Space. Though, having now MacGyvered a design for the back of a hat, I think that might have been because the buckle melts, which is perhaps something I should have considered earlier.
It would be great if Cricut could expand the range with a larger array of styles. But you can really use any hat with the Cricut Hat Press, and any polyester hat will work with Infusible Ink. Having the expanded range would just be good for newbies who are still working things out.
Who is the Cricut Hat Press for?
The Cricut Hat Press is for crafters who need to make more than one or two hats every now and then, but fewer than a professional quantity of hats. 90 seconds for each hat press would really add up if making hats at scale.
This is what you get when you want to be able to make any idea you have for a hat a reality in a surprisingly short amount of time. To borrow a slogan from Disney Infinity: if you can dream it, you can do it. You can make hats for kids’ sporting carnivals, cheap merch for community TV shows, and hats for special occasions.
